Omaha poker rules closely follow Texas Hold’em rules. The five stages of game play remain—the Preflop, Flop, Turn, River and Showdown.
Commonalities between Omaha hi lo rules and Texas rules include the five community cards. In both, all players share five community cards, which they turn over after betting rounds.
The hi low part of the Omaha hi lo rules means that the winning hand (hi) splits the pot with the lowest hand (lo).
The lowest hand must have five cards that are eight or lower (thus the “8 or better” name). Ties are common for the lowest hands. In such cases the winning “losers” split half the pot.
Preflop
In Omaha hi low rules the dealer deals each person four cards, going around the table four times. These four cards are your pocket cards.
After this, a round of betting occurs.
Flop
In the flop stage the dealer turns over three cards in the middle of the table. These community flop cards, combined with players flop cards, now make up the players’ hands. In Omaha hi low rules, betting occurs again after the flop.
Turn
After Flop betting the dealer turns over another card, making a fourth community card. Players bet again.
River
The fifth community card, called “the river” and sometimes “fifth street,” ushers in the last round of betting.
Showdown
The players who have not yet folded show their cards, making the best hand out of five of the seven cards available to them (two pocket cards and the five community cards). The winner takes the pot.
